Quote Originally Posted by OUman View Post
As far as OKC though, I think 2012 will be a pretty good year for passenger traffic, barring any unforseen challenges of course. Nice to see two DL mainliners to anywhere :P.
I think OKC could have so much more traffic if it weren't for some ridiculous fares at times when compared to other nearby airports. I along with co-workers have flown 40+ times since early 2011 and about a third of the time, we've ended up booking out of DAL, DFW, TUL, or ICT because the fares can be drastically cheaper from those locations. I'm talking some significant fare differences here, so I'm not being such a tightwad that I'd drive to Dallas or Tulsa just to save a total of $200 for my company or anything. For example,...from OKC to CHS last month on WN, it was going to cost $2600 round trip for four of us. And that's booking 14 + days in advance. Instead, I booked where we carpooled to Love Field and all got round trip tickets for a total of $1280. So basically, it would have cost my company more than double just for the four of us to fly the 30 minutes from OKC to DAL and then catch the same flight to CHS as opposed to just the fare from DAL to CHS. Of course, we had a couple of stops on the way courtesy of the Wright Amendment, but it was the same connection. Why such higher prices in our market?? It happens all the time.

Another example...OKC to LAS for 4 people ran $1,600 round trip on WN. It was about the same on other carriers, but there are layovers. (Damn, I miss Champion) Now simply drive the two+ hrs to ICT and fly Allegiant, and pay round trip non-stop for around $760. Factor in the gas to and from Wichita and you're still over $800 ahead for that trip alone. Amazing! For all you high rollers out there, please don't laugh. But if you are a small business owner in this economy trying to run a lean ship, this all adds up over time.

I can't be the only small business in OKC that occasionally books corporate travel for multiple employees from other nearby airports in order to save thousands in travel costs over the course of the year. OKC to anywhere is NEVER the lower fare, which isn't the issue. If it's reasonably close, then OKC it is. I understand we're not a hub and have to connect many times for many destinations. It's just that about a third of the time, it seems the fares to some destinations from OKC are extremely out of whack compared to other airports...even others that have to connect in Dallas, Denver, Atlanta, or Chicago.

Why such a difference? Will this ever change???